Its been a few decades since I went to summer camp. And my own kids have been to enough programs for me to know everywhere runs things just a little bit differently. It can be hard to pick the right program for your family when you don't know the nitty-gritty details.
I already knew the Y offers fun for kids - that was easy to figure out! And I knew they offered general Day Camp, Dance Camp, Sports Camp, Swim Camp and Science Camp, and fun activities like camp carnival and special events. The kids having a great summer is covered. But what about those little things that can make or break the experience from a parent's point of view? I asked Frankie Carlucci, the Senior Director of Youth & Family Programs at the Flushing YMCA to give me the information I would want, as a parent, about what exactly their camps offer.
Here's the deets:
- Flushing YMCA Camp runs in 2-week sessions
- You can send your kid(s) for one session, or four (8 weeks) or any combo that works for your family.
- Camp is from 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday
- But if you need it, extended hours are available starting as early as 7:30am and going all the way to 6pm.
- Bus Service is available
- Families can drop their kids off personally, or use a private bus service to get kids to camp.
- Lunch is provided
- No packing lunch stress! The Y provides a hot lunch to all campers daily as part of the camp experience.
- Counselors abound
- For the youngest campers, aged 4 and 5 years old, there is one staff member per every six kids, for 6-8yrs there is one staff per eight kids, for age 9-14yrs there is a staffer per every ten campers, and for teens 15-17yrs there is a staffer per every 12 campers.
- Kids spend a ton of time outdoors!
- The Flushing Y has great indoor facilities including their huge gymnasium and two pools, plus plenty of smaller break away spaces great for crafts and learning, but camp will also get them outdoors enjoying the summer about 50% of the time.
- Discounts
- The Flushing Y offers a 10% sibling discount or a 10% Early Bird discount (for registering your child(ren) by April 18). There is also Financial Assistance available (which can be combined with the Early Bird discount for extra savings!)
Disclosure: Flushing YMCA is a paying advertiser, however all thoughts and opinions presented are my own.
